Products, particularly those made of plastic, often need or are desired to be modified to perform a particular function. For example, ventilation ducting can have many different sizes, such as a 3-inch diameter or a 4-inch diameter. Plastic molded fittings for such ventilation ducts are molded with an aperture that only fits one size of ventilation ducts. In the manufacturing process, to change the diameter of the hole in a particular molded piece, a die must be changed or at least the insert must be changed to manufacture pieces with different-sized apertures in them.
It is possible to use a tool which can make four pieces at a time, which is commonly referred to as a four-up die of various sizes. However, unless selling exact multiples of 25% of the various sizes, the manufacturer will have to manufacture excess of a part. For example, if one sells 80% of a certain size and 20% of a second size, necessarily extra pieces of the second size will need to be made, creating unnecessary inventory and/or waste. Moreover, having multiple parts varying only by having different size apertures or other slight modifications among them requires at least two sets of SKUs, at least two sets of inventory, and, if other modifications are needed, this multiplies exponentially.
“Knock-outs” have been used to create a section of an object where a hole may be desired, but the knock-outs can be difficult to remove depending on the size and material. Also, if too much force is used in the removal of the knock-out, the object may be cracked or broken.
Thus, there is a desire for an object having structure which allows it to be modified either by the manufacturer or by the customer to solve the balance issues with creating multiple products, and to reduce inventory levels and SKU requirements.